Guilty
by For Sirius
Summary: Remus Lupin wakes up in the woods the morning after discovering Sirius is innocent. Confused and scared, he is unaware of recent events at Hogwarts.
1. In the Woods

GUILTY

Chapter 1. In The Woods

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters involved. They are the property of J.K. Rowling. After all, if they were mine, would Sirius be dead?

Remus woke feeling horrible. His muscles ached from the strain of the transformation. His head was throbbing, and as he shifted he could feel how heavy it was on the ground. What a night... he groaned softly and sat up.

Fighting down a rush of dizziness, Remus opened his eyes. He saw pine needles, and then, looking up, trees scattered around the dip in the ground where he sat. Slowly, he turned his head. More trees, the lower bark of the nearest ones slashed to tatters. He could feel the sting from scratches on his own arms.

Knowing he still wasn't thinking clearly, Remus forced himself to stand. Leaning against a nearby pine, he tried to gather his thoughts into something recognizable... _what am I doing here_...

The realization hit him so suddenly that he staggered. _Oh God..._Last night was a full moon...Remus searched his memory...the potion... dimly he remembered the steaming goblet, sitting on his desk. He remembered turning at the door, giving it half a glance..._I'll come back for it_... he had been in a terrible hurry...A wave of nausea came over Remus. He gagged. He had been running loose on the Hogwarts grounds last night! Anything might have happened..._no, please, let me not have hurt anyone, let it be ok_...

Sick with dread, Remus imagined the nightmare that would unfold when he returned to Hogwarts. If anyone was hurt... If anyone was bitten...he imagined finally confessing to Dumbledore. About the Marauders, about his friends becoming Animagi, tricking Dumbledore for all those years...

And now the events of last night were coming back in a rush, a blur of color and terror and then-

"Sirius," breathed Remus, seeing it all clearly in his mind... _Sirius is innocent...Sirius was here..._Remus spotted the spires of Hogwarts in the distance, and was walking, running towards them. _Peter was here...Peter did it...got to find Sirius_.

And Remus' panic subsided, replaced with joy. Sirius wouldn't have let him hurt anyone. Sirius was innocent, he didn't kill James, he was going to be proven innocent.

It was going to be all right.


	2. Dumbledore's Office

Chapter 2. Dumbledore's Office

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters involved. They are the property of J.K. Rowling. After all, if they were mine, would Sirius be dead?

Stone grated against stone as the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office twisted upwards. As soon as the opening appeared at the top, Remus Lupin stumbled out, panting and covered in scratches.

Dumbledore looked up solemnly from behind his desk. "I was wondering when I'd be seeing you, Professor Lupin."

Remus stayed standing at the door, swaying slightly. "Where-where's Siriusâ€got to talk to him"

Dumbledore frowned. "Do you remember the events of the past night, Remus?"

"I rememberâ€in the Shrieking Shackâ€Sirius was innocent. Peter did it Professor, Peter Pettigrew's alive-

Dumbledore nodded slowly, peering at Remus over his half-moon spectacles. "Yes, Harry and Hermione have informed me of what happened in the Shrieking Shack. Do you remember, though, what happened after you left it?"

Lupin began to think, focusing on remembering. "Weâ€we started back up to the castle."

"Go on," said Dumbledore, his gaze intense.

"Pettigrew was with us. Harry wouldn't let us kill himâ€said James wouldn't want itâ€so we were bringing him to the dementors. He was chained, chained to Ronald Weasley andâ€and me. Then I transformed-"Remus stopped as the realization hit him. "Oh Godâ€Pettigrewâ€I was _chained to him_."

When Dumbledore spoke, his voice was heavy with sadness. "Sirius ran after you when you transformed to try and keep you away from the others. Peter Pettigrew found himself unguarded, and was able to escape once again."

"No" Remus found himself wondering where Peter could go, while the wizarding society believed him dead. Back to the gutter, with the other rats? Find a home with another family, as some other child's pet? He shuddered.

"And," continud Dumbledore, "with Pettigrew gone, so was all evidence of the innocence of Sirius Black."

The implications that had not hit Remus before did now, and he swayed again before dropping into an armchair. His face in his hands, he wonderedâ€.how had this happenedâ€just an hour ago, ten minutes ago, everything had been okay. Now, Sirius was a wanted man again. Softly, Remus asked the only question left. "Where is he?"

"Harry and Hermione were able to use the girl's timeturner to rescue Sirius from the dementors. He flew off on Hagrid's hippogriff last night."

"He's on the run," Remus responded hollowly.

"Yes."

Somethiing else came to Remus then, and he knew it was time to confess. "Professor, when we were still in school, the four of us- James, Peter, Sirius, and I-"he fumbled for words. "They- they found out about my transformations- they wanted to help" Remus trailed off, seeing that Dumbledore was smiling.

"I received an owl from Sirius at dawn, detailing the his own innocence as well as the same confession you are about to make. He told me that in order to make you transformations easier, himself, James, and Peter accompanied you each month- as Animagi."

Remus was speechless. "You're- you're not angry? I thought-"

"Madame Pomfrey had long suspected something of the kind," said Dumbledore. "She saw the four of you come up grinning and covered in scratches month after month, mumbling about a quidditch accident, or accidentally walking too close to the Whomping Willow. Although what you all did was foolhardly-"Dumbledore smiled fondly. "I could hardly have expected less from four friends so close."


End file.
